Air directing louver device



May 26, 1959 G;-GOETTL 7 2,837,943

AIR DIRECTING LOUVER DEVICE Filed May 31, 1957 INVENTOR I By GUST GOETTLAGENT United States Patent 2,887,943 AIR DIRECTING LOUVER DEVICE GustGoettl, Phoenix, Ariz.

Application May 31, 1957, Serial No. 662,715

I 3 Claims. (Cl. 98-110) notches having inwardly directed apices whereinarcuate bearings initially interconnect the slats. The centers of thearcuate bearings form pivotal axes for the slats and permit them topivot within the angular limits of the notches while these arcuatebearings also provide suflicient friction to hold the slats in variousangularly adjusted positions relative to each other.

The present improvements in air directing louver construction areparticularly adapted to the use of plastic materials which may havesuflicient resilience to provide for frictional loading on arcuatebearings which interconnect apices of substantially V-shapedintersecting notches of the louver slats.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an air directinglouver device wherein arcuate bearings at the apices of slots in theslats interconnect intersecting slats on their pivotal axes.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air directing louverdevice having intermeshing arcuate slot and strap means which isconcentrically disposed relative to arcuate apices of substantiallyV-shaped notch portions which mesh in accordance with the intersectingangles of relatively pivoted slats.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved air directinglouver construction particularly adapted for use in the assembly ofslats in frames,

Another object of the invention is to provide an air directing louverdevice having slat construction wherein arcuate bearing meansinterconnects the slats at the inner portions of V-shaped meshingnotches therein, whereby the arcuate hearings in each of the meshingnotches of the intersecting slats provides sufiicient frictional loadingof the slats relative to each other so that they will remain in certainangularly adjusted position relative to each other.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention may be apparentfrom the following specification, appended claims and accompanyingdrawings in which; Fig. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a pair ofintersecting slats of an air directing louver device in accordance withthe present invention; Fig. 2. is a sectional view taken from line 2-2of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of intersecting slatsof the air directing louver device shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings.

AS shown in Fig. 1 of the drawing the present invention relates to anair directing'louver device having intersecting slats 10 and 11. Whileonly one of each of these slats is shown it is contemplated that aplurality slats 10 may be arranged in parallel relationship to eachother while a plurality of slats 11 may be arranged in a parallelrelationship to each other and intersecting the slats 10. As shown inFig. 1 the slat 10 is provided with a substantially V-shaped notch 12which receives the slat 11 and the slat 11 is provided with asubstantiallyv V-shaped notch 14 which receives the slat 10. Thus, thenotches 12 and 14 ofthe slats 10 and 11 mesh with each other and permitpivotal movement of the slats relative to each other within theangularlimits of the substantially V-shaped notches.

The notch 12 in the slat 10 is provided with arcuate closed apex 16while the notch 14 in the slat 11 is-provided with an arcuate closedapex portion 18., Con-,

centric with the arcuate closed notch apex portion 16 in the slat 10 isan arcuate slot 20 and disposed in the slat ll is an arcuate slot 22which is'concentricwith the arcuate closed notch apex portion 18 of theslat 11. The slat 10 is provided with an arcuate strap portion 24 whichabridges the diverging substantially V- shaped notch 12 and this strap24 is an arcuate strap concentric with the arcuate closed apex portion16 of the slat 10. The arcuate strap 24 is provided with a slot 26therein which is slightly narrower than the thickness ,of the slat 11 atits engagement with the arcuate closed notch apex portion 16. The slat11 is provided with an arcuate strap portion 28 which is concentric withthe arcuate closed notch apex portion 18 and this strap 28 abridges thediverging notch 14 as shown best in Fig. '2 of the drawings.

The strap 28 is provided with a slot 30 which is slightly narrower thanthe thickness of the slat 10 at the notch apex portion 18 of the slat11. It will be noted that the notch apex portion 16 of the slat 10 andthe notch apex portion 18 of the slat 11 are both provided with arcuatecurvature disposed concentric with a longitudinal axis of eachrespective slat, said arcuate curvature being of equal radius to that ofthe arcuate closed notch apex portions 16 and 18.

The strap portion 24 of the slat 10 passes through the arcuate slot 22of the slat 11 while the strap portion 28 of the slat 11 passes throughthe arcuate slot 20 of the slat 10 when the slats are pivoted relativeto each other. Since the slots 26 and 30 of the straps 24 and 28 arenarrower than the width of the slats 10 and 11 these strap portions atopposite sides of the slots 26 and 30 must be spread apart when themeshing notch portions of the slats 10 and 11 are received within eachother. To accomplish this the slats must be made of substantiallyresilient material such as plastic or the like. When the closed notchapex portions 16 and 18 of the slats have been forced through the slots26 and 30 of the straps 24 and 28 the notch apex portions 16 and 18 areengaged and the straps 24 and 28 snap into the respective slots 22 and20 of the slats 11 and 10, respectively. This arrangement provides foran interlocking connection of the slats 10 and 11 and their pivotalaction relative to each other is only limited by the angular divergenceoi? the notches 12 and 14. The slots 26 and 30 are narrower than thethickness of the slats therefore they do not catch inthe slots 20 and 22when the slats are pivoted relative to each other.

All of the arcuate bearing portions disclosed in Figs. 1 and 2 of thedrawings are arranged to provide pivotal axes tor intersecting slatshaving meshing notch portions.

These arcuate bearings are also arranged to provide for a connectedassembly of the slats relative to each other so that the slats are heldin assembled relation wherein they are angularly adjustable relative toeach other to guide air therethrough 'in various directions as desired.

Various modifications of the present invention may be resorted to in amanner limited only by a just interpretation of the following claims.

I claim;

' '1'. 'In a louver slat construction the combination of: a first-"slathaving a substantially V shaped notch; a second slat intersecting saidfirst slat at substantially right angles and having a substantially Vshaped notch meshing with the V shaped notch of said first slat; innerportions of said notches of said slats being adjacent each other andeach provided with an arcuate bearing structure; said arcuate bearingstructures each comprising an arcuate apex; each slat also having anarcuate slot concentric with its arcuate apex; each slat having anarcuate strap concentric 'with each arcuate apex and abridging thediverging structure of a respective V shaped notch; the strap of eachslat projecting through the arcuate slot of an intersecting slat; eachstrap having a slot disposed to spread resiliently whereby the portionof the slat between its -notch apex portion and its arcuate slot maypass through the slot in the arcuate strap of an intersecting slatduring assembly of the slats in positions wherein the notches of-thefirst and second slats mesh.

2. In a louver slat construction the combination of: a first slat-havinga substantially V shaped notch; a second slat intersecting said firstslat at substantially right angles and having a substantially V shapednotch meshing with the V shaped notch of said first slat; inner portionsof said notches of said slats being adjacent each other andeach'provided with an arcuate bearing structure; said arcuate bearingstructures each comprising an arcuate apex; each slat also having anarcuate slot concentric with its arcuate apex; each slat having anarcuate strap concentric with each arcuate apex and abridging thediverging structure of a respective V shaped notch; the

strap of each slat projecting into the arcuate slot of an intersectingslat; each strap having a slot disposed to spread resiliently wherebythe portion of the slat between its notch apex portion and its arcuateslat may pass through the slot in the arcuate strap of an intersectingslat during assembly of the slats 'in position wherein the notches ofthe first and second slats mesh, said apexes, said slots, and saidstraps of respective slats are all concentric with each other.

3. In a louver slat construction the combination of: a first slat havinga substantially V shaped notch; a second slat intersecting said firstslat at substantially right angles and having a substantially V shapednotch meshing with the V shaped notch of said first slat; inner portionsof said notches of said slats being adjacent each other and eachprovided with an arcuate bearing structure; said arcuate bearingstructures each comprising an arcuate apex; each slat also having anarcuate slot concentric with its arcuate apex; each slat having anarcuate strap concentric with ieach arcuate apex and abridging thediverging structure of a respective V shaped notch; the strap of eachslat projecting through the arcuate slot of an intersecting slat; eachstrap being of resilient material and having aslot the width of which isslightly less than the thickness of an intersecting slat, said strap atsaid slot disposed to spread resiliently whereby the portion of the slatbetween its notch apex portion and its arcuate slot may pass through theslot in the arcuate strap of an intersecting slat during assembly of theslats in positions wherein the notches of the first and second slatsmesh.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSKennedy Mar. 3, 1953 Reichelderfer June 23, 1953 Calverley Dec. 15, 1953

